RYEDALE MP Kevin Hollinrake said he is 100 per cent supporting the Prime Minister in tonight’s vote.

The MP for Thirsk and Malton tweeted this morning: "So easy to criticise from the sidelines but no other deal delivers on pre-referendum promises of frictionless trade, end to free movement, no EU budget contribution, Independent trade deals and no hard border in Northern Ireland."

The Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to fight an effort to oust her as Conservative leader and Prime Minister "with everything I've got".

In an early morning statement outside the door to 10 Downing Street, Mrs May warned a change of Prime Minister would put the UK's future at risk and could delay or halt Brexit.

She insisted she would stay on to "finish the job" she has set herself as Prime Minister.

Mrs May's statement came about an hour after it was confirmed the chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, had received the 48 letters of no confidence from Tory MPs required to trigger a ballot on the leadership.

The vote will take place between 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday, with the result announced soon afterwards.

Mrs May needs to secure the votes of 158 MPs - half the parliamentary party plus one - to remain as Conservative leader, though a vote of 100 or more against her will raise questions about whether she can continue.

If she wins, another challenge cannot be mounted against her position as Tory leader for a year.